Cushioned wheel.



No. 851,105. PATBNTBD APR. 28, 1907.

R. P. REID. CUSHIONBD WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED 13110.22, 1905.

o O o o \A/ITNEEIEEE ROBERT P. REID, OF WQYIEHYLIE'l, NEW YORK.

CUSHIONED WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed December 22,1905. Serial No. 293.002.

T0 (07/ lr/mm if 1114/ (w/u'm'n.

-Be it known that 1, ROBERT 'P. REID, a citizen of the United States,residing at \Yatervliet, county of Albany, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cushioned heels, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The invention relates to such improvements and consists of the novelconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter described andsubsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the referencecharacters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figurestherein.

The single figure of the drawings is a View in side elevation, partlybroken away, and partly in section, of a vehicle-wheel provided with myinvention.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple andefficient cushion for interposition between two members, one of which isca able of movement toward and from the ot er, whereby the force of ashock or concussion received .by one of said members will be largelytaken up and dissipated in its transmission through said cushion to theothermember.

The invention is ap licable to various forms of construction w erein acushioning effect is desirable. I

Referring to the drawing, wherein the invention is shown in itspreferred form a lied to a vehicle-wheel, 1 is the rim, 2 is t e ub, and3, 3 are the spokes of a vehiclewheel adapted for use on automobiles orwagons or similar road-vehicles. The hub is made hollow to form afluid-chamber, 4, surrounding the spindle-bearing, 5, into whichfluid-chamber open the innerends of a plu rality of piston-chambers, 6,one for each spoke of the wheel. Located Within each piston-chamber is apiston, 7', against the outer side of which bears the inner end of theadjacent spoke, said spoke constituting a piston-rod or spindle andbeing movable longitudinally through a stuffing-box, 8, on the ub. Anextension of the fluid-chamber, 4, is formed within a box, 9,,mountedupon, and

forming substantially, a part of, the hub. The box, 9, is in the form ofa cylinder and contains a movable dia hragmor piston, 10, the inner sideof WhiG. is exposed to the fluid in the inner annular compartment of thefluid-chamber which is admitted thereto through the passage-way, 11,while the outer side of said diaphragm or piston is exposed to the fluidin the outer end of thebox or cylinder, 9, which forms the outercompartment of the fluid-chamber, the fluids in said compartments beinprevented by said piston or diaphragm rom intermingling with. eachother.

In the use of my invention, the inner eom' partment is filled with oil,water, or other comparatively incompressible fluid, 12, and the outercompartment with more-or-lesscompressed air or otherhi hly compressiblefluid '13 which can be int-rot need through the valved aperture, 14, ina manner similar to that in which pneumatic tires are inflated. The rim,which may be given any desired degree of flexibility, will, uponencountering an obstacle in the road, yield at the point of con tacttherewith, causing one or more of the spoke-piston rods to be forcedinwardly, causing the piston or pistons engaged there by to be driveninwardly along their respective chambers toward the center of the hub.The oil or water, 12, being substantially incompressible, thepressure-caused by'the inward movement of the pistons is instantlytransmitted through the liquid and piston or diaphragm, 10, to the as inthe compartment, .9, which is there y compressed. 'As soon as the excessof ressure is removed from the rim, the elasticity of the gas incompartment, 9, restores the various pistons to normal position.

By locating the gas in a compartment separated from the li uidcompartment, no opportunityis afforde for escape of the gas past thepistons and through the stuffingoxes, 8, which need to be made onlysul'liciently ti ht to resist leakage of the more dense fluid. Shouldvthe gas be admitted to the annular liquid compartment, however,

no harm would be done, as in use centrifugal I00 force would maintainthe more dense fluid in the outer part. of the hub-compartment incontact With the various pistons, and the less dense fluid near thecenter of the hub,

in a manner adapted for carrying out my [05 invention and accomplishingthe object thereof.

The box or cylinder, 9, is shown as a separate structure mounted uponthehub-proper,

but it is in effect a part of the hub, and the I I chamber.

' p The several pistons, are preferably ing' to a comparatively thinedge, j which,"

' v and has its walls tapering to a comparatively chamber containedwithin thebox or o lin- "the fluid-chamber, is expanded sufliciently forthe piston.

der, 9, is likewise a part of the hubuid made cup-shaped, and have theirwalls taperwhen subjected to the internal pressure of to form a tightjoint with the cylinder-walls, whereby I'am able to dispense with apacking I am aware that packing material has been employed upon apiston-head in cup-shaped form, and. make no claim broadly to such aconstruction.

It is characteristic of my invention, so far as the same relates to theconstruction of a piston-hea(l, adapted for use in. a cylinder wheresaid piston-head is exposed to pressure, that the piston-head itself iscup-shaped mounted upon one of said members; a plurality of cylindersfor the respective pistons I mounted upon the other of said members; anda cushion to which each cylinder is open, comprising confined bodies. ofgas and liquid respectively, separated from each. other by a movablediaphragm.

2. The combination with a wheel-hub pro-' vided with a fluid-chamber anda plurality of piston-chambers open to said fluidchamber; of awheel-rim; pistons in the respective piston-chambers; spokes interposedbetween the. respective pistons and rim; and a cushioningbody comprisingtwo fluids of different degrees of compressibility confined in saidhub-chamber. a

i 3. The combination with a wheel-hub provided with a fluid-chambersubdivided by a movable diaphragm, and with a plurality ofpiston-chambers open to one of the fluidchamber compartments; of a wheelrim;

pistons in the respective piston-chambers;'

spokes interposed between the respective pistons and rim; a bodyv ofliquid confined within. the fluid-chamber-compartment open 'to saidpiston-chambers; and a body of gas confined within the otherfluid-chambercompartment.

.In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day ofDecember, 1905.

ROBERT P. REID.

Witnesses:

FRANK C. CURTIS, J. L. FULLER.

